About us

A few kitchens, a lot of stories.

The first kitchen job started at sixteen, in a Spanish restaurant in Hoofddorp. Two years in came the first real promotion — leading that kitchen at eighteen. One thing led to another, and soon came an invitation to cook in Spain. A flight from Amsterdam to Oyambre led to the head chef role at Enter the Wave, the biggest Dutch surfcamp on the Spanish coast, cooking à la minute for 150-plus guests a night with recipes of its own making. That’s also where the love for paella really took hold.

After a great few years in Spain, it was back to Holland to work at one of Leiden’s finest restaurants, learning the fundamentals of French cuisine and exploring flavours not worked with before — until the move to South Africa, where cooking took on a completely different shape.

In South Africa came the discovery of the braai — and a braai was never just about the food. It’s the people you share it with. You invite your friends to eat, chill, grill and have fun, all gathered around the fire. That’s where Fork It was founded, and it’s the idea the whole thing is still built on: Fork It isn’t just about great food, we believe in great company too. Moments should be shared and memories made around the table — stress-free.

Back from South Africa, the next stop was Haarlem, working as an independent cook at one of the city’s best dining rooms, cooking events for hundreds of guests at a time — and learning what it really takes to cook for large groups: the planning, the timing, the logistics behind a great night. These days, back among Leiden’s canals, the kitchen is at the city’s finest Spanish restaurant, always looking for ways to keep developing — while running Fork It on the side, a place built around what matters most: good company and great memories.

So, pull up a chair. We’d love to meet you.